F&I

Total Light Vehicle Sales Increase 11.4% in May, Autodata Reports

June 5, 2014
• by Staff

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — Total light vehicle sales in May jumped 11.4% from a year ago to 6.74 million units, according to Autodata Corp. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for the month was 16.77 million, up from last May’s 15.48 million rate and last month’s 16.04 million SAAR. The following is a breakdown of sales performance by manufacturer:

BMW: The German automaker reported May sales of 35,331 vehicles, an increase of 13.3% from the 31,174 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago. Sales of BMW brand vehicles increased 17.3% from a year ago to 29,602 units. On a year-to-date basis, BMW brand sales increased 12.2% from a year ago on sales of 127,181 units. BMW SUVs led the way, recording an 80.6% increase in sales vs. a year ago on a year-to-date basis. Within that segment, the BMW realized a 58.7% sales increase from a year ago.

MINI USA reported sales of 5,729 units for the month of May, a 3.6% decrease from a year ago. On a year-to-date basis, MINI sales totaled 18,776 units, a 27.2% decrease from a year ago.

Chrysler: The domestic automaker reported U.S. sales of 194,421 units, a 17% increase vs. a year ago. This was the best May sales performance for the automaker since 2007. The Jeep, Dodge, Ram Truck and FIAT brands each posted year-over-year sales gains in May vs. a year ago. The Jeep brand’s 58% increase from the same month last year was the largest sales gain of any Chrysler Group brand during May and its best sales month ever.

In fact, four of the eight Chrysler group vehicles that set May sales records were Jeep brand models. The Jeep Compass, with its 64% sales increase, posted its largest year-over-year percentage sales gain of any Chrysler Group vehicle in May. Ram pickup truck sales were up 17% in May, while the Dodge Dart compact car posted its best sales month ever with a 16% sales gain.

Ford: Ford U.S. sales totaled 254,084 vehicles in May, up 3% from a year ago. Retail sales set several model records with 174,889 vehicles sold – an increase of 6%. Ford Fusion set an all-time monthly record in May with sales of 33,881 vehicles. With 31,896 vehicle sales, the Ford Escape also posts an all-time record, topping the 30,000-vehicle mark for the first time ever. The Ford Explorer sales in May topped the 20,000-vehicle mark for the first time since July 2005 with sales of 20,346 vehicles, a 21% increase from last year.

Lincoln sales were up 21% in May vs. a year ago, with 8,845 vehicles sold. The MKZ realized its best May sales performance ever, breaking last year’s record with 3,714 units sold.

General Motors: General Motors delivered 284,694 vehicles in the United States in May, a 13% increase from a year ago. The domestic automaker’s May performance marked the company’s best May in seven years its highest sales total since August 2008. Retail sales were up 10% while fleet sales were up 21%.

Chevrolet sales were up 14% from a year ago, driven by a 26% increase in car deliveries. The Cruze was up 41%, and Corvette deliveries were up 268%. Additionally, sales doubled for the Chevrolet Spark, while sales of the Camaro were up 30%. Impala sales were up 23%, while Buick realized its best May since 2005, with total deliveries and retail sales up 11% and 10%, respectively. Buick Encore deliveries more than doubled, while Regal sales were up 49% from a year ago.

For Cadillac, sales of the CTS sedan were up 39%, while deliveries for the Escalade were up 30%. SRX sales were up 27%, marking the vehicle line’s best May ever.

Honda: American Honda Motor Co. reported May 2014 Honda and Acura vehicle sales of 152,603 units, a 9% increase from a year ago. The Honda Division posted a 9.8% sales increase from a year ago, with sales totaling 137,928 units. The Acura division gained 2.2% on May sales of 14,675 units, with sales of light trucks increasing 32.9% from a year ago on sales of 10,301 units.

Honda light trucks sales set a new May sales record, with sales increasing 2.1% from a year ago to 57,835 units. Sales of the Honda Accord were up 19.3% from a year ago, with 39,637 units sold. Acura trucks led the division with an increase of 32.9% on sales of 10,301, marking the division best-ever May performance. Also posting its best May ever was the MDX, with sales increasing 115.6% from a year ago to 5,997 units.

Hyundai: Hyundai Motor America closed its best month ever with May sales of 70,907, up 3.7% vs. the same period a year ago. Both premium sedans, the Equus and Genesis, experienced sales gains of 26 and 24%, respectively, for the month.

Mazda: The automaker reported May U.S. sales of 29,731 vehicles, a 22.5% increase from a year ago. Year-to-date sales through May were up 6.4% vs. last year, with 130,223 vehicles sold.

The Mazda3 realized its best May in four years, with 10,682 vehicles sold for an increase of 19.6% from a year ago. The Mazda6 realized its best May in eight years, with sales increasing 38.5% from a year ago to 5,461 units sold. Mazda's SKYACTIV Technology accounted for 85.6% of total sales in the month of May.

Mercedes-Benz: The German automaker reported its highest May sales total on record, with sales increasing 8.1% from a year ago to 29,570 units sold across the Mercedes-Benz, Sprinter and smart model lines. The Mercedes-Benz brand alone posted May retail sales of 26,617, up 7.7% for the month. On a year-to-date basis, volume was up 6.5% from a year ago to 125,118 units. Adding year-to-date sales of Sprinter Vans (up 23.5% to 9,282 units sold) and smart cars (up 8% to 3,974 units) and MBUSA achieved a year-to-date grand total of 138,374 units sold.

The E-Class led the way with 6,168 units sold, a 25.1% increase from a year ago, followed by the C-Class with 5,284 units sold in May. The M-Class, the OEM’s volume leader in its SUV lineup, rounded out the Top 3 with 4,084 units sold, a 26.9% increase vs. a year ago.

Mitsubishi: May sales for the automaker increased 54.2% from a year ago to 7,269 units sold, marking the vehicle OEM’s best May sales total in three years and the second best May sales total since 2008.

The U.S.-built Outlander Sport compact crossover/SUV led the way, with sales increasing 24.4% from a year ago to 2,820 units sold. This marked the vehicle’s second best monthly sales total. The all-new Mitsubishi Mirage sub-compact vehicle realized its best all-time monthly sales total since it was introduced in September 2013, with 1,700 units sold.

Nissan: The Japanese automaker set a new record in May, with sales increasing 18.8% from a year ago to 135,934 units. The Nissan Division also set a May record, with sales increasing 17.8% from a year ago to 125,558 units.

May was also the best-ever month for the Nissan LEAF, with sales increasing 45.8% from a year ago to 3,117 units sold. Additionally, the LEAF passed 50,000 total U.S. sales since its launch. The Nissan Altima sales set a May record with 36,053 units sold, a 12.9% increase from a year ago. On a year-to-date basis, the Altima realized its largest sales increase of any car in the midsize category. The Juke crossover also realized a May sales record, with sales increase 33.4% from a year ago to 3,825 units sold.

Infiniti reported U.S. sales of 10,376 units for May, an increase of 31.4% from a year ago. Deliveries of the new Infiniti Q50 luxury sports sedan totaled 2,938 vehicles in May, contributing to the brand's 75.8% increase in passenger-car sales. The QX80 full-size luxury sport utility vehicle also realized another strong month, with sales increasing 4.5% from a year ago to 980 units sold.

Toyota: The Japanese automaker reported May sales of 243,236 units, an increase of 12.6% from May 2013. The Toyota division posted May sales of 216,315 units, up 12.2% from a year ago.

By model, sales of the Toyota Camry were up over 26%, with sales totaling just less than 50,000 units. Sales of the all-new Corolla were up 30.8%, marking the vehicle model’s best month since August 2009. Sales for Toyota’s truck division were up 11% from a year ago, with the RAV4 leading the way with sales totaling 23,465 units — a 13% increase from a year ago. As for Lexus, the IS posted a triple-digit gain for the sixth month in a row, while sales of Lexus’ luxury utility vehicles were up 20.2%.

Volkswagen: May sales for the German automaker totaled 32,163 units in May, a 4.8% decrease from a year ago. Officials attributed the sales decline to the run-out of certain models. The Passat TDI, the only clean diesel in the midsize sedan segment, recorded sales of 3,172.

Audi: Audi achieved a 25.5% increase in sales and its best May U.S. sales in company history. The month also marked 41st consecutive U.S. sales record for Audi and the second-best result for any month. Year-to-date sales in the U.S. were up 11.4%. Sales of Audi A7 increased 22.8% compared to May 2013, while sales of the Q5 increased 13.5%. The company also reported that is has sold 5,283 of its all-new 2015 Audi A3 sedan, which was officially released to the market this past spring.

Porsche: Porsche announced May sales of 4,609 vehicles, which beat last year’s record May by 17.3%. The automaker’s May performance also marked the best-ever sales month in the United States. Sales of the 2015 Macan S and Macan Turbo, which were released in mid-May, totaled 1,263 units. Sales of Porsche Approved Certified Pre-Owned vehicle totaled 994 units for the month, a 17% increase from a year ago.

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